“What have I missed? You said the Enforcers had been back?”
Conlan sat beside her as Will answered, his voice flat. “They come back, pull whatever energy we’ve been able to recoup, and then they leave again.”
“Hurts like hell,” Freddie grumbled.
“I think that’s because they’re pulling our energy through their shields,” Eleanor said slowly. “If you can find their energy strings you can pull the energy back, but possibly not with the low energy levels we have at the moment.”
“Can’t you just hide some energy somewhere?” Conlan asked.
Will smiled. “Sorry, we don’t come with spare batteries.”
Conlan looked confused. “What’s a battery?”
“Something that stores energy in our world,” Will answered.
Batteries?
Eleanor yelped in delight, waking Amelia up with a start. Moving forward as fast as her aching body would allow, she knelt in front of Will and kissed him hard. Rocking back, she smiled, amused by his surprised look. A slow smile met hers.
“Will, you’re a total genius!” she enthused.
Will looked doubtful. “I am?”
She nodded and sat back down, running through the plan in her head and looking for problems. Will watched her for a moment, then noticed Conlan, Freddie and Amelia all staring at him.
“What?” he muttered almost to himself. “She kissed me!”
Feeling happier and lighter, Eleanor allowed her mind to churn through angles and possibilities. “How often do the Enforcers visit?”
“Every few hours,” Will informed her.
Eleanor nodded, factoring in the time scale. “When are they next due?”
“Now,” Conlan said, glancing at the cell door with apprehension.
“I have a plan,” Eleanor said, unable to take the smile off her face.
“That’s great, but could you calm down a little and explain it?” Conlan asked.
Eleanor nodded. “Right... plan, yes... I do actually have a battery,” she stuttered, the excitement making her a little agitated.
“Still not making sense to the idiots, so maybe Will the genius could explain,” Amelia said with a smirk.
Will shrugged. “No clue what she’s on about.”
“Calm down and explain yourself,” Conlan said. She could hear the irritation creeping into his voice.
She took a slow, deep breath and tried to keep her voice level as she explained. “That’s what the Talismans are, or at least what the gems in them are – they’re batteries, sort of. They store energy, our energy. I’ve played with it a little, but I didn’t really give it much thought because I never envisaged a situation where I’d need stored energy.”
“So we do come with spare batteries,” Will said, smiling at his own joke. “Just a shame we don’t have them on us anymore.”
“Well that’s just it. Obviously the sword, wand and chalice are with Judder.” She then reached inside her shirt for the chain and pulled it out, dangling the diamond in front of them. “I forgot about this, though.”
“How much energy is in there?” Will asked, watching it swing to and fro.
“A lot. I spent a long time filling it, wondering if it would reach a limit, but it didn’t.” Still smiling, Eleanor put the diamond safely back under her shirt.
“So what’s your plan?” Amelia asked, a look of hope in her eyes that Eleanor found she desperately wanted to keep there.
“We let the Enforcers come back and empty our energy down again, then we have two hours. I’ll share the energy out between us, enough so that you can pull your own. We blast our way out of here and make for the main gate. Hopefully Judder will have stood by his word and be there to help us,” she said, a happy smile on her face.
“You don’t need to give me that much energy, Eleanor, this city has extensive aquifers; besides, your energy always makes me feel like I’m being buried alive,” Will said, shuddering slightly.
“Well it’s that or torturous death... your choice,” Eleanor countered.
Will smiled cheerfully. “Buried alive… ”
The cell door slammed open.
Eleanor jumped and twisted towards the four Enforcers as they entered. Arran stepped forward, his large hazel eyes staring at her malevolently. The energy-draining sensation ripped through her but there was no pain, which meant only Arran was pulling her energy.
Conlan lunged forwards, and in one fluid motion Arran pulled his attention from Eleanor and gestured with his hand, slamming Conlan into the cell wall where he struggled briefly like an insect pinned to a card, before going limp and dropping to the floor. Arran whipped back and calmly continued pulling Eleanor’s energy, almost before she had realised he had stopped.
“Find their strings and take the energy back!” Freddie ordered. Forcing himself to his feet and giving Conlan a worried frown, he strained against the efforts of the Enforcers.
Stunned by the sudden violence, Freddie’s words jerked Eleanor into action. She tried to pull the energy back, and for a moment she held Arran in check, smiling grimly at the surprise on his face. Arran took a step towards Freddie, and Eleanor knew exactly what he was going to do.
“Why are you doing this?” Eleanor asked through gritted teeth, desperate to distract him. Arran stopped and stared at her silently, looking a little surprised. Despite his lack of response, Eleanor kept talking. “We are trying to free Mydren, we want to free magic. We are trying to change this world for the better so in the future no child born with magic talent will be dragged from its parents and tortured into serving a Lord’s whims. We are trying to help people like you, Arran.”
He narrowed his eyes, focusing further. Another tugging sensation joined Arran’s, and pain filled her world. It felt like the core of her being was being ripped out. An Enforcer with a shield was assisting Arran. If he moves into my head now, he’ll see our plan. Fear of discovery stopped her fight and she collapsed, registering Arran’s satisfaction through half-closed eyes. She thrashed weakly against cold stone, dimly aware that Amelia was sobbing.
The pain left. Eleanor lay panting before the Enforcers. Arran glared at her and waved his hand once more. Freddie was buffeted off his feet and flung into the cell wall as Conlan had been, dropping like a sack of wet flour. He tried to rise, but Arran flicked his hand down and Freddie was slammed forcibly into the unyielding stone floor, a whimpering cry escaping him with the sharp exhalation of air from his lungs and the audible crack of ribs.
“Resist me again and he will suffer further,” Arran said, pointing a long white finger at Conlan, his merciless expression firmly back in place. Yet Eleanor had seen a flash of something in his eyes. The Enforcers turned and left the cell in a flapping of black robes, like crows over road kill.
Silence.
Conlan stirred and groaned as he forced himself up. Moving to her side, he made sure she was breathing before moving to Freddie. Eleanor could hear panting and pained breaths from across the cell.
“Freddie?” Conlan whispered.
Eleanor tried to move, to get up, to help Freddie… the world retreated into black.
“Eleanor, Eleanor…” The soft growl penetrated the dark. “Will, I think she’s coming round.” A gentle hand brushed her face and then gave it a light slap, the sensation bringing reality into sharp focus.
“Hey!” she muttered, raising her hands in weak defence.
“Eleanor, come on, open your eyes,” Will ordered. “We had a plan, remember? We can’t get the energy out of your diamond – we tried – so you have to do it. Wake up.” The light slap again. “Wake up, Eleanor, you’re being pathetic.”
Irritated, Eleanor opened her eyes. Conlan was cradling her and Will was leaning over her, grinning.
“Freddie?” she asked, trying unsuccessfully to get Will’s features into focus.
“I’ll live, Eleanor,” came the whispered reply. “Assuming we get out of here.”
With Conlan and Will’s help, Eleanor sat
upright and took a few deep breaths while waiting for everything to stop spinning. Freddie was sat against the wall next to her, one arm wrapped around his ribs. His breath was laboured, his expression glazed and blood flecked his lips. Shocked by the pain she could see in his eyes, Eleanor moved slowly to kneel in front of him. Reaching forward she took his face in her hands.
“Don’t you dare die on me, Freddie,” she said, and leaning forward she kissed his forehead. Freddie smiled at her, slowly shaking his head.
“No dying, got it,” he murmured.
“Eleanor, the plan? Now, please, you’ve been out for a while and time is slipping by,” Conlan said, sounding rather exasperated. She turned and held his gaze, which garnered another one of his unfathomable looks. She nodded, reached for the diamond and wrapped her hand around it, feeling the comforting vibrations of the energy stored within. Eyes closed, she pushed a string into its lattice and pulled the energy free.
It was like releasing the cork off a champagne bottle after spending ten minutes shaking it up. The energy exploded through her – too much, too fast to control. Panicking, she made futile attempts to remove the string. Her levels passed normal and began climbing, her body shook and the surging power began to get painful. She had to release it, had to get rid of it, but they could not afford to waste the energy. She opened her eyes to find Conlan’s concerned face in front of hers. Mustn’t release the energy. Not really thinking about what she was doing, she acted on instinct and grabbed Conlan’s wrist. The moment their skin touched, the excess energy flowed from her into him, like a burst dam, their energies linking effortlessly. He gasped, pain creasing his features and body slumping forwards. Eleanor kept a tight grip on his wrist and struggled to regain control. Eventually the flow slowed enough to make control possible. Eleanor withdrew her energy string from the diamond and took short, panting breaths.
Raising his head, Conlan swore softly in Dwarfish, his body shaking as he looked at her bewildered. She smiled and reached a hand to stroke his head as she let go of his wrist. Slowly sitting up he rubbed it and looked down in surprise. There was a raised imprint, like the rest of them carried, but the symbol burnt into the inside of his wrist was a five-pointed star within a circle. Closing her eyes for a moment to catch her breath, Eleanor found she could almost see her energy glowing within him. Luminous green and brown flowing streams wrapped around his own glowing white energy. Conlan was holding a lot of energy, but he seemed to be showing no ill effects.
“What was that?” he asked, still rubbing his wrist.
“I think that was the connection. You don’t take energy, Conlan, we are not yours to control; you belong to us. We give you energy. You currently hold so much that I can see it glowing, I can feel it. Please try not to release it at us. Can you feel it?” Eleanor asked slowly and gently, not wanting to scare him into accidentally exploding them.
Conlan closed his eyes, and a grin, like a child opening a much longed for birthday present, spread across his bruised face. “It feels warm and sort of earthy.”
Eleanor smiled. “OK, hold that thought, keep your eyes closed and just concentrate on what it feels like. I’m going to help the others and then we’ll see if you can use it, OK?”
Working as quickly as possible, Eleanor carefully rationed out what was left of the energy in the diamond. The change in her friends was instantaneous; colour returned to their faces and their movements became more fluid and stronger. Freddie claimed his pain had reduced and Amelia was not the only one with hope in her eyes. Conlan had not moved from where Eleanor had left him kneeling on the floor, his eyes closed and a small, dreamy smile on his face. Not wanting to startle him, she kept her voice low as she spoke.
“Conlan, keep your eyes closed for the moment, OK? Tell me about the energy.”
Conlan nodded. “I can feel it inside me. It’s part of my own energy, but separate. It feels like you, like your personality is stamped on it.”
“OK, Will is going to send you some of his energy,” Eleanor said, looking at Will. The only visible evidence of this transfer was Conlan’s widening smile.
“Wow,” he breathed.
“You can feel that, too?” Eleanor asked.
“It’s so different from yours – wet, cold... calming,” Conlan whispered.
“That would definitely be Will. Can you differentiate between the different types of energy?” Eleanor asked as she watched his face for signs of pain that would indicate he was holding too much.
“Yes, as easily as I can tell the difference when I look at the two of you, the colours are obvious,” he said.
“Colours?” Freddie asked.
Conlan smiled, eyes still firmly closed. “Like the colours when you release your energy at Amelia’s shield. Eleanor’s energy is green and brown, Will’s is purple and blue. It’s beautiful.”
“OK, next step. Freddie is going to send you some of his energy,” Eleanor said, nodding at Freddie, who grinned at her in turn.
“Hot,” Conlan muttered, then he chuckled. “Impatient; definitely Freddie, red and orange.”
“My turn,” Amelia said quietly.
“Oh, Amelia… so beautiful,” Conlan murmured. “Your colour is silver-grey. Your energy feels so light, but it’s so strong.”
Amelia looked surprised at Conlan’s comment. “Sure you’re reading that right?”
Conlan nodded. “Strong, so very strong, as strong as Eleanor’s.”
Will smiled and hugged Amelia to him. Amelia smiled faintly, looking a little stunned.
“Conlan, can you feel your hold on our energy?” Eleanor asked.
Conlan shook his head. “No, I’m not holding it, it’s just there.”
He’s not holding the energy back; maybe that’s just us. Perhaps we have to hold our energy in and he has to push the energy out. Still speaking in a slow, calm and quiet voice, Eleanor made another request of him. “When you feel ready, Conlan, I want you to open your eyes. Please try not to release the energy you’re holding, as the damage you could cause would be quite spectacular. You have enough of our energy to level this building.”
“You’re not exactly filling me with confidence, Eleanor.”
“Sorry, but you need to be aware of the potential you’re carrying.”
Slowly, looking like he expected something horrific to happen at any second, Conlan opened his eyes. Eleanor and Amelia gasped.
“What?” he asked, his gaze travelling over them anxiously.
“Your eyes are glowing,” Will said, when he realised Eleanor was too awestruck to respond.
“They are? Is that normal?”
Will shrugged and they all turned to look at Eleanor. She stared at the bright-green orbs. They had always glowed with his life, his intelligence, but this was something completely different. It was like they were backlit. They were so brilliant emerald green that she felt she could sit and stare into them forever. I wonder if he can see in the dark now, she pondered, the thought coming out of nowhere. With effort she snapped herself out of her mind’s desire to lose itself in Conlan’s stunning eyes.
“I have no idea if it’s normal and frankly no time to think about it now. So long as you’re not in pain, I’m going to class all of this as a success and move on,” Eleanor said briskly.
“I’m not in pain, it just feels a little strange. It’s like whispered voices you can’t quite hear,” Conlan said, smiling.
“That would be destiny talking, sweetie,” Amelia said quietly, running a gentle hand over Conlan’s head. Eleanor smiled. Destiny was not just talking, destiny was yelling.
“You have energy and you’re connected to us; the brand on your wrist proves that. Now you need to release some of our energy in a meaningful fashion,” Eleanor said, consolidating her thoughts on the matter as she spoke. “This is where I come a little unstuck, as I have no idea how to test this. As I said, if you let go of all the energy we gave you, you’re going to bring this building down on our heads. I was sort of hoping that your cont
rol would be different from ours, because if it isn’t there seems little point in having a ‘centre’. I was hoping that you would be able to release our energy in well-aimed, controlled bursts, basically the opposite of what happens when we release ours.”
“Your energy releases always seemed very controlled to me,” Conlan said. “You blasted that chair right out from under Merl. What happened to Merl, by the way?”
“He’s dead,” Eleanor said flatly.
“I did him a great wrong…” Conlan stopped, frowning, as if what he was saying did not make sense to him.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Eleanor whispered again. Conlan looked at her, his eyes glazing over again as memories ran through his head.
“Oh,” he murmured as tears once again filled his eyes.
Conlan crumpled. His body trembled violently. Eleanor pulled him into her arms. She expected him to push her away, but he wrapped his arms around her, buried his face in her neck and sobbed. Not being able to feel his relief as Eleanor could, not understanding, just wanting to help, Amelia reached for his hand. On his other side Freddie put a hand on Eleanor’s shoulder as a sign of quiet support. Will reached an arm around Amelia.
For one brief moment they were all physically connected, and with the speed of a star exploding, their consciousness was thrown to all corners of the globe, as if they had been pushed into space on the top of a rocket and they were now looking back down at the planet they had left. Mydren spread out in all its natural glory before them. Eleanor could feel the control all the elements exerted on their environment, could see how easy it would be to manipulate. The experience was similar to when the four of them had balanced their energies together, but on a much larger scale. She could feel the wonder of the others and could feel Conlan’s palpable awe.
What is this? Conlan’s question echoed through their heads. Eleanor felt them all try to answer it at once, but it sounded as nothing more than white noise. When there appeared to be no response, Conlan panicked. Was he here alone? How did he get back to his body? As his concentration wavered they began to fall, plummeting back towards Mydren at a stomach churning speed. Conlan was clearly in control, even if this was not evident to him. Their returning consciousness hit hard enough to affect their physical bodies and wrenched them apart.
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